I am a summer girl. I savor the light and warmth as long as I can. While I am not a fan of Daylight Savings Time, it has come and gone leaving me with two options: I can go with the flow, or I can resist something that I have absolutely no control over and cannot change.
As my sleep rhythms are attuned to standard time, I am using my body’s cues to climb into bed early with a book and a weighted blanket. I am setting my alarm for 15 minutes earlier than normal. For the last few two nights I slept deeply and have easily gotten out of bed with the alarm. The extra 15 minutes increases the time I can spend on my morning practices of yoga, meditation and journaling before I begin to get ready for work. The extra time adds ease and a sense of freedom to my morning. As I practice, I keep the lights low and light candles. I remember how much I enjoyed doing this last year during the dark days.
With the change of season I have started making warming soups and cornbread to nourish myself and my neighbors. Sharing a warm bowl of comforting food is a highly appreciated gesture.
Last year I put out my vintage, ceramic Christmas trees and strung lights over my fireplace mantel before Thanksgiving. I think will decorate in the next two weeks. I’m over keeping arbitrary rules of when to decorate and when to put up the decorations. I like the lights in the dark of the morning and evening. I receive so much pleasure from putting out the trees my grandmother made and had in her home. A month is not enough time enjoy these treasures.
Yesterday I signed up for a winter creative challenge. I am not an artist, but I am creative. I like making collages and playing with watercolors. Over the last two winters, I have enjoyed spreading out my supplies on my living room floor and creating themed collages, illustrating poems, painting winter scenes or using watercolor on the pages of my mandala adult coloring book. As I spend all my time outdoors in the summer, I find this a pleasant, grounding way to spend fall and winter evenings and/or weekends.
For Christmas I have asked for a balance board set up. I think this will be a fun way to maintain my balance and strength over the winter to prepare for paddle boarding again in May 2022.
Though I have plans and comforts for the dark days, I must confess to my one form of resistance; my car clock will stay on summertime. I do this not because I am holding on, but because I know this too shall pass. And I never figured out how to change the time in my old Subi.
The Yoga Cowgirl 
Sounds like you’ve found multiple helpful ways to embrace the change in seasons. I like your idea of lighting candles during your yoga practice.
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I like an open window shade to let in light I and very soft, dark light in the winter. I light four, only one is scented, or I will use essential oil and a diffuser. Let me know what you think.
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I usually do my yoga bathed in mid-morning sunshine, since I don’t have to get up early and head off to work. But I’m thinking of trying some candles during a snowstorm, when the light is so dim, with perhaps one scented.
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Both sound lovely.
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-and the photo is GREAT. I think your phots are taken by an artist.This is said by an artist 🙂
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Thank you Leekal. I have lived photography since I was a kid with a Kodak Instamatic.
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I’ve heard the word nourish a lot in the last few weeks. I love that word, and I happy to find it in your post. I, too, used to dread this week because of the early darkness. However, the trees in northern Illinois are currently putting on beautiful display. I truly believe that I missed out on this in the past since I was so focused on the time change. It’s amazing what you notice when you shift your perspective. 🙂
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Yes! Our trees are also putting on a show. Thank you!
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I’m with you and the car clock. When I drove the clocks in my car always stayed at whatever time I had adjusted to when the car was new to me they never changed,
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What I’ve discovered in Arizona with no time change is that at first I was happy. But then I was confused because the few TV shows I watch are all at different times!
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I would hate that.
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I laughed at your car clock. I used to have a clock in the kitchen that required a stool and some energy to change. So, I didn’t. I just left it, and in a few months, it was ‘right’ again. It takes me a little while to adjust, but only days. Since I work by the sun, making myself get up and around in the morning is a little hard. I have to readjust my routines.
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I like the having subtle changes that reflect the difference in light and dark.
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I love how you’ve adapted in lieu of fighting the time change; you are doing a beautiful job.
Laughing at your resistance to change your car clock. Hey, that is one way to put it. 🙂
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Thanks!
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My car clock stays on DST too. I like to think about how things will be once winter is over. It’s a quiet bit of rebellion and hope– that has nothing to do with how difficult it is to change the time on it.
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